Source: Omar Rawlings / Getty
There’s betting on yourself; then there’s fumbling a major bag.
In the middle of the last season, Dennis Schröder was looking for a contract somewhere in the neighborhood of $100 million -$120 million. However, teams thought his stock wasn’t quite that high, and it was rumored that he was offered a four-year $84 million extension with the Lakers, who were fresh off a championship.
Schröder wasn’t happy with the offer, so he denied it, which turned out to be a terrible idea because he ended up with a one-year $5.9 million stint with the Boston Celtics. While many claimed Schröder missed out on a ton of money, he took time during the Celtics Media Day to clarify some of the details regarding the story.
“The Lakers told us we are not talking during the season, and at the end of the day, I never had that contract in front of me,” Schröder said during Celtics media day. “That’s one thing. But they wanted to talk and at the end of the day, me and my agent decided not to sign their contract.”
The 28-year-old went on to explain that it’s not just about the money because he could have put in more effort while teamed with King James.
“At the end of the day, I feel like for me, personally, I got to be comfortable in the environment I’m in,” Schröder told Boston.com. “I love the Lakers organization, and they did great things, but I think for me, and this is just business, I don’t think I fit in 100 percent. You play with LeBron and AD, that’s two of the best players in the NBA, and I don’t think I gave them everything that I bring to the table.”
The young player’s trying to prove himself as a member of the Celtics and hopes another lucrative contract is in his future.
